


Dr.Speckles's Log: Select Entries

by yodelinyote



Category: Furry (Fandom), Original Work
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-02-19 11:27:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22644154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yodelinyote/pseuds/yodelinyote
Summary: These are the journal entries of a pitbull named Dr.Speckles: a young but talented medical examiner whose scientific curiosity is about to test his belief in the supernatural. After he performs an autopsy on an unusual body, he becomes plagued by omens, questions, and strange characters as he searches desperately for answers to the most difficult medical mystery of his career.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Unusual Circumstances

**[10/21, 2:47 AM]**

At approximately 11:00 PM, a civilian reported an unidentified body discovered on the side of the road, and called for an ambulance. The patient was bleeding profusely from six abdominal puncture wounds whose spacing implies that all six wounds were inflicted simultaneously, most likely a goring incident by a cervid pair of antlers. Patient sporadically regained consciousness in the ambulance but did not provide identification. Patient appeared to be unable to hear the EMTs, and only gave cryptic remarks that most likely stemmed from near-death hallucinatory experiences. Upon arrival at the hospital, the patient was rushed to the OR and died on the table due to blood loss. As chief medical examiner, the body was transferred to my care to provide identification and issue a death certificate. The case piqued my interest, so I set to work right away. The remainder of this entry comprises my notes regarding this case:

  * Young adult male, approximately mid-20s. Canine. Species estimated to be _latrans_ , _familiaris_ , or most likely both. Identifying features include an opaque cloudiness (likely some sort of congenital blindness) over the right eye, and a blue-tinted coat with two different shades of brown underbelly along the ventral axis, a ‘saddle’ marking in black, and several white 'diamond'-shaped markings across the body: one in the center of the forehead, one above each eye, one dorsal marking between the shoulderblades that aligns with one ventral marking over the sternum, and one under the chin and travelling about midway down the ventral side of the neck. Patient also has age-unrelated white markings on the muzzle, tail tip, and paw digits.
  * Patient was wearing nothing but a small red hoop earring, which is proving extremely difficult to remove. I’ll have to come back to it later with more powerful tools in order to return it to the individual’s family, but for now, I don’t want to risk damaging any potential evidence or personal property that the family or investigators might want.
  * Vitals were recorded to confirm the surgeon's proclamation of death. The body lacked a pulse and no breathing was observed. Photographic documentation and measurements were taken of each puncture wound and the body overall.
  * Six entry wounds were recorded and measurements of each were charted on a diagram that can be found in the patient's case file. In addition to lacking exit sites, the diameter, depth, and placement of the puncture wounds confirm the theory that they were all inflicted at once by cervid antlers. The wounds are placed in a tight arc along the ventral side of the upper abdomen. At a glance, one appears to have punctured the heart, and ruptured lungs are also to be expected.
  * Upon further examination, the heart does not appear to have been punctured, and-bizarrely- could not be located by simple probing of the wound. Furthermore, despite the copious amounts of blood, the flesh surrounding the interior walls of each puncture wound appears to be undisturbed, as if the flesh had simply moulded around the weapon as it entered. Only the skin is punctured, and not one interior blood vessel seems to have been severed during the trauma. Severed surface vessels alone would not explain the amount of blood loss recorded by hospital staff. I suspect the body may have been tampered with, although it's highly improbable that such a thing would be possible between the OR and my examination table, and an incredible level of surgical skill would be required to render the flesh in this way.
  * A standard Y-incision was made to open the abdomen and examine the internal organs. What I observed on the inside was baffling. All major internal organs were present, but were arranged bizarrely inside the abdomen. Additionally, the patient possessed what appeared to be underdeveloped forms of organs that are impossible for genus Canis to possess. Some, such as this… what appears to be a miniscule swim bladder… aren’t even typical structures for Mammalia. The arrangement of the internal organs was also documented in a diagram on file for this case. Again, the best explanation is tampering, even with the lack of evidence of any outside agent attempting to open the body. Regarding the bizarre arrangement, the organs appear to have simply 'grown' this way, although that is clearly impossible. This degree of abnormal placement is far beyond the scope of some inherent mutation, and warrants a full investigation as a first-degree murder case with probable dismemberment involved.
  * Each organ was weighed and samples of each were taken for pathological examination. I collected multiple samples of blood, which seemed to behave strangely- more like mercury than what I'd expect of true blood. Furthermore, it didn't seem to coagulate properly, which I noted as potential hemophilia on the patient's medical history form, along with the slew of other abnormalities. Something about the luster of this blood looks entirely ‘off’, but maybe that's just an observer error due to sleep deprivation...
  * Figuring I should wrap things up for the night, I recorded the dental history (quite clean, no major work done) and took a nose print for identification purposes. I sent off the Unidentified Decedent form so investigation can begin on the legal end, and I'll return the medical mysteries of this case in the morning.



**[10/22, 9:35 AM]**

Today, I continued my examination of the unidentified antler-goring case from last night. The following are my observations:

  * I prepared microscope slides of the organ tissue samples, and carefully examined each to look for evidence of the possibility that any of the organs were introduced to the body via tampering. On the contrary, each tissue sample possesses an organelle type in its cell structure that's unknown to me, but demonstrates a clear continuity within the entire corpse that makes me certain that they all belong to the same individual. The skin, bones, and muscle tissue appear to have large amounts of this unknown organelle.
  * I took some additional blood samples and attempted to sequence the patient's DNA to find some answers about this individual's unusual morphology. However, PCR methods were ineffective because the DNA strands could not be separated by the normal procedure of thermal cycling. I'll try some other methods as well, and do some research into other sequencing techniques available to me.
  * Lastly, I've uploaded the patient's profile onto an online database of unidentified bodies, and I've been told that the local paper and news station both ran a segment this morning requesting information from the public. Not that many people actually read or watch either of those these days, but hopefully someone comes forward with information soon. On a personal note (this IS my journal, after all), I’m not sure I’ve ever been so impatient for clues before. I'm dying to get to the bottom of this case!



**[10/25, 5:23 PM]**

Still no luck with sequencing the DNA. It appears to be extraordinarily heat-resistant, and even methods used to sequence the genomes of extremophile bacteria were completely ineffective here. No matter the method, this DNA simply can't be separated; it just doesn't want to be read, evidently…

Likewise, none of my research can explain the mystery organelles in the tissue samples, either. I've sent some of the sample slides (from the liver, kidney, blood, and dermis) over to an expert pathology lab for analysis, but I'm not optimistic (which is pretty abnormal for me!).

Finally, since no one has come to claim the body, I ran a little research of my own. I scoured both local and national databases for missing animals cases that match the patient's physique, which, of course, also came up inconclusive. There was a case or two that came close, but lacked the distinctive diamond markings that this patient has. I even searched through birth records, but that might be a bit too ambitious for me to survey alone. A full investigation is now underway to identify this mystery individual and uncover the circumstances that led up to their death. I hope someone finds some answers soon. I can’t imagine what the family will think of all this...

**[10/26, 1:37 AM]**

This case appears to be haunting me… Not only have I had dreams about it, but even in my daily life, this mystery never ceases to nag at my brain.

Without any new information, all I can do at this point is wait, but I can’t help but wonder: who was this individual? What leads someone to getting stabbed by a six-point buck before dying on the side of the road with a whole menagerie of organs crammed into their body cavity?

Reading back over this, I can’t even believe it. When I became a medical examiner, I knew I’d see some strange and even some distressing cases, but this… … Is this even real anymore? Am I dreaming? Surely someone’s playing tricks on me.

**[10/27, 3:52 PM]**

Good news: the pathology lab finally got back to me about the tissue samples!

Bad news: they don't know what those organelles are, either. It couldn't be matched with any recorded disease or phenomenon known to canines, and appears to be an evolutionarily distinct feature, not just a simple mutation. So then… Does that mean the patient isn't canine at all? Beyond that, are they even a mammal?

The final comment of the report was the most confusing, but also somehow comforting in its validation of my own frustrations. It explained that their lab had also attempted to sequence the DNA of these tissue samples, only to come up blank. They weren't even able to identify a taxonomic order... … I know my career is still young, but I truly haven't seen anything like this before. Without observing these cells in a living state, we can't be certain what the function of that organelle even is, let alone where else one might normally find it. Another piece of the case gone cold, I guess. I need to get back to other work, but I probably won't be able to shake these questions from my mind for the rest of the day. A new organelle in a potentially new, distinct species? That's something you don't see every day!

**[10/27, 10:12 PM]**

I didn't expect to write another entry today, but here we are! Today is full of surprises, it seems. On that note:

I don't know who I _expected_ to come forward with information about the mystery patient, but I certainly didn't expect them to meet me on the sidewalk on my walk home from work.

Around an hour ago, a young woman stopped me suddenly. She boldly interrupted my audiobook with her palm held out in front of her, stopping me in my tracks. If it weren't for her long white ears suddenly sticking straight up in front of my face, I probably would have completely glanced over the small rabbit in front of me.

I'd never seen her before in my life, but she seemed to know exactly who she was looking for. She introduced herself as some "follower" of so-and-so: some name I didn't recognize, though I had a feeling it was something more outlandish than your everyday politician, given her grandiose tone. Indeed, she claimed that her "infernal patron" was being held prisoner by me; that she'd seen the request for information on the news, and was here to provide. She warned me that if I didn't "release" this 'demon lord' in three days' time, that I would "witness something truly frightful and henceforth become cursed". I had to bite the inner corner of my jowls to keep from laughing, but still did my best to ask in a polite, genuine tone if she had any more information for me.

Still, she realized I wasn't taking this as seriously as she was, and gave me a small pamphlet that appeared to have been handmade just to sway my opinion (this 'demon lord' might as well be a politician, after all, it seems). It included some pretty detailed illustrations as well as some laughably lofty titles: “Prince of Demons”, “King of Diamonds”, “Cambion of Clairvoyance”, etc… Honestly, it’s fairly well-detailed. It even includes a couple of prayers, or… Summoning rituals, or something like that. I didn’t read it all that closely, so my memory’s failing me here. Anyways, although I can appreciate the effort she put into it, I still couldn’t take it seriously. This is a real murder case, after all!

After handing me the pamphlet, she begged me to see the body, which I of course declined on the grounds that only family members of the deceased could do something like that; certainly not "followers". She then started talking about how they were family "by pact", at which point her intensity started to get more and more unnerving. I thanked her for the very informative pamphlet, and quickly excused myself from the conversation, hurrying home.

… Now that I'm home, I'm kicking myself for not getting her name so I can warn the security staff not to let her into the morgue unless she brings proof of relation.

Oh well. At least I have this _one_ name from the pamphlet. "Caim", was it?

Maybe I'll do a little research, just to entertain myself.

**[10/28, 3:01 AM]**

Can't sleep. I keep feeling a chill wash through the room…

I hope my heating didn’t break again. :(

**[10/28, 5:10 PM]**

Even though I didn't sleep much last night, work has been smooth today. At this point, I've been focusing on my other cases, but things were really slow today, and the endless riddles of the mystery case never left my idle daydreaming. Everyone else even left early, so I’ve had plenty of time alone with my thoughts to consider all the possibilities.

It would be nice to solve a big biological puzzle like that again. I haven't done a real research project in so long... Maybe once the legal side of this case is all cleaned up and the patient's been identified, I could ask the family of the deceased about doing a case-study on this interesting condition they seem to have. Maybe they'd even have some information about the deceased’s life that could explain at least some of my observations. But, for now, it’s just me and the corpses in the morgue, and it’s up to me to tell their tales to help them find peace.

…

Still… In the meantime…

Filling a couple of IV bags with extra blood samples couldn’t hurt, could it?

**[10/28, 11:16 PM]**

My naive curiosity got the better of me.

I looked up some information on this "Caim" figure, even after telling myself again and again that there’s no point in looking at all these lies crafted to scare pups into behaving. I’m not sure why I never threw out that pamphlet, but I saw it on my desk and pulled up that name again. When I dug into it, I uncovered some folklore, and even some old medieval manuscripts listing noteworthy demons. Oddly enough, the drawings in this pamphlet, and even the ones in those faded manuscripts- as weird as it sounds...

They _do_ kinda look like him.


	2. Something Smells Fishy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * "Tetrapoda" refers to a large group of animals including all amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. In this universe, these are the types of animals that have become anthropomorphic, and are rarely seen as a feral variant. Fish, insects, and other animals outside of Tetrapoda do NOT have anthro forms, and are exclusively (and commonly) found as ferals. Although "Tetrapoda" is scientific jargon in our world, it's a fairly common term in this one, and essentially just implies a species that is (typically) anthro in form. In this world, the feral forms of Tetrapoda species are rare, and killing or capturing them is extremely taboo, as they're generally thought of as a kind of living ancestral ghost. On the other hand, non-Tetrapoda species are treated much like how we humans treat animals in our own world.

**[10/29, 10:14 AM]**

Rowan just told me they aren’t coming in on Halloween because they have plans, so that leaves me working alone all day… It’s true that I don’t really have other friends to be with or parties to be at, but that still doesn’t mean I want to be working alone!

… It's weird, I've never been scared of the corpses in that icy steel room before, but now the chill of death fills the air when I step inside, and the corpses lying in wait just inside the icebox are starting to creep me out a little.

I don’t feel like working with the corpses today. I can’t. Screw it, Rowan can do it! Besides, they owe me, since they’re abandoning me to work alone in a couple of days anyway. Even if I decide not to work, I can’t just clock out early today, but… Well, I think I know something else I can do. I’ll just tell Rowan I’m doing a little bit of ‘pathology’ study, if they ask…

**[10/29, 11:10 AM]**

It’s been an hour, and I’ve acquired everything I need for my study today: some basic surgical tools, the IV bags of blood I collected from the mystery patient earlier (due to the prominent diamond-shaped markings, I’ll just call them ‘Diamond’ from here on out, for short), and several live, locally-caught fish from the market. It was pricey, but since I’m a carnivore, I can just tell Rowan or any other staffers that they’re my lunch, if anyone gets suspicious. I suppose I could’ve gone for insects instead, but given that Diamond appeared to have a swim bladder, I wondered how a fish would react to their DNA...

These specific test subjects are green sunfish ( _Lepomis cyanellus_ ), an invasive species, which at least makes me feel a little less bad about what’s going to happen to them. I know that doing studies on live fish and insects is pretty standard for testing medical products before they can be approved for use on anthros, but I still feel bad about it. Even as an MD-PhD student, I avoided it when I could, but big questions call for desperate measures.

Hopefully no one minds that I took the old fish tank from the hospital’s storage room, but I at least want to make these test subjects a little more comfortable. The tank used to sit on display by the hospital’s general reception desk, but senile piscivore patients kept damaging it while trying to eat the brightly-colored tropical fish inside (which are obviously NOT safe for anthro consumption). It’s been in the storage room collecting dust ever since upkeep got too expensive and it became a hazard for patients, so I don’t think anyone will pay any attention to its sudden disappearance.

I don’t have much other choice but to do things my own way like this, so I need to be cautious with how I proceed here. It feels… wrong… but my only option is to carry out these experiments entirely on my own, since there’s absolutely no way I’ll ever get grant funding for this project. I’d probably just be laughed into an early retirement, if anything.

Anyway, I’ve taken everything I need to an unused lab room and I’m almost all set up now. I only have 6 fish and two IV bags’ worth of blood, so the sample size is small, but hopefully informative nonetheless. Listed below, the notes of this entry will include my procedure, observations, and results for these experiments:

Independent Experiment 1: Blood Injection into Feral Specimen, _Lepomis cyanellus_

  * Two fish were randomly selected from the original six, and each was placed in an individual bucket of water large enough to swim freely.
  * Using the smallest needle available, Fish 1 was injected with 5 cc of blood and observed. Fish 1 swam normally for about 6 seconds, and then began exhibiting signs of discomfort and distress, along with an increased rate of respiration, which became progressively more intense until Fish 1 died at the 3 minute mark.
  * Repeating the same procedure, Fish 2 was injected with 15 cc of blood and observed. Fish 2 showed distress immediately, and its reaction seemed more intense than that of Fish 1. Around the 10-second mark, it began to thrash, and swiftly leapt out of the bucket and onto the table. It was promptly returned to the bucket, but its attempts to escape didn’t end, even after the bucket was sealed with a lid. Before sealing the lid, I noted that the fish was having difficulty respirating, much like Fish 1, though more intense. Once the thrashing sounds had ceased around the 1-minute mark, the lid was removed, and sure enough, Fish 2 had passed as well.
  * Working quickly before cell death could set in, small samples of blood, gill, and brain cells from each fish were mounted onto microscope slides. The slides from Fish 1 were examined first, and immediately of note was the fact that the Unknown blood cells seemed to be attacking the white blood cells of the fish’s own blood. There didn’t seem to be enough of the Unknown cells available to clear away all the fish’s leukocytes, but the invasive cells also seemed to have no difficulty inducing apoptosis in any of the cells it targeted, so it’s likely that it only would have been a matter of time before the fish’s immune system was completely decimated.
  * Comparing Fish 2’s blood slides with those of Fish 1, the same process appears to have occurred, but in this case, it had been brought to completion. Fish 2’s immune system was effectively destroyed, and furthermore, the Unknown cells were now attaching some sort of protein to the walls of the fish’s other cells. I might need further testing to examine what this protein does…
  * Examining the brain sample slides next, the neurons of both fish were now dead, as might be expected. Furthermore, the damage in both brain tissues seemed to suggest that a lack of oxygen supply to the brain was the ultimate cause of death. However, it was the gill sample slides that held the most intriguing insights into the function of the Unknown cells...
  * While the gills from Fish 1 appeared relatively normal aside from the same type of ‘attack’ observed in the blood cells, the gills from Fish 2 appeared to be warped. In fact, the tissue structure didn’t look like what one would expect from a functioning gill at all. Intrigued, I decided to take to the dissection tools to find out more.
  * Upon opening the gill of Fish 2, I noticed that the gill structure seemed to be underdeveloped from the inside- as if unable to support respiration, which might explain the fish’s earlier behavior. Fish 1 appeared to have normal gills. Going further and opening the abdomens of both specimens, Fish 1 again appeared normal, but Fish 2 had a decreased swim bladder, and, most surprising of all:
  * Fish 2 had grown a small set of lungs.



**[10/29, 4:39 PM]**

Unfortunately, I had to cut my studies short here for the day, because I was certain that Rowan would start to wonder where I was. As it turns out, they didn't even notice I was gone, but I'll still need to pack everything up from my little 'experiment' before anyone finds it. I can’t risk leaving all this stuff here, so I’m bringing everything back to my apartment with me. I’ll have to call a friend/business partner nearby to borrow his car. I’ll walk there, then drive back here to pick up the aquarium and all the rest…

Thanks to the massive amount of microwave meals in my diet, I don't have much room in the freezer back at my apartment, but I'll have to store Fish 1 and 2 there, and should be able to fit both IV bags of blood in the fridge as well. I'll have to write another entry when I get home detailing how the move went, and hopefully I'll have time to add more to my observations as well, since I was rushing before: out of fear that someone would discover me... Geez, even just typing that makes it feel that much more serious.

**[10/29, 6:30 PM]**

I just got back to my apartment, and I was greeted by something I certainly didn't expect.

There was a bird- a FERAL bird- in my apartment. Seemed to belong to the family Corvidae: a large bird with all-black feathers and beady little eyes that shone with natural intelligence. I've never seen one before in real life, so for a moment, I just stood still while it examined me from atop the head of my kitchen sink. It was stunning to see one in real life- I’d only seen old drawings and blurry photos of them before this, but those could never capture the true majesty of this creature. I never even knew they had red eyes like this! We stared at each other, and it curiously cocked its head at me to get a better look before giving a big 'CAW' and flying out the kitchen window.

I… I could have sworn that I closed that window this morning before I left? But maybe that's just the sleep deprivation at work. It’s not like I could have predicted this, though. After all, it’s not everyday that you see a feral variant of a Tetrapoda* animal! I hope another scientist somewhere has taken note of that rare little bird, but for now, I have bigger fish to fry. (Literally! … Well- without the frying, that is. I’d rather not waste any of my precious research subjects on the undignified fate of becoming food.)

I still have too many scientific questions buzzing through my brain to bother with figuring out how a bird got into my apartment, so I'll leave that little investigation for another day. For now, I just put the two test-subject fish in the freezer and the two IV bags of blood in the fridge, and got the aquarium with the live fish in it all set up in my bedroom. Now, I think I'll just make some dinner and head to bed. This is all just too much to process on this little sleep …

**[10/29, 9:04 PM]**

Update: Things didn’t quite go as planned.

Shortly after I wrote the previous entry, I ate a quick microwave meal as per usual, and no sooner had I finished cleaning up when I heard an obnoxious ‘BZZZZZZZ’ blare over my intercom: someone requesting to be buzzed into the apartment building on my behalf. I tiptoed down to the first floor and peeked out the peephole, only to see an angrily fluffed-up ermine glaring back at me. My heart clenched with guilt at once. In my exhaustion, I had forgotten ALL about our deal! And it was so simple, too!

  1. Borrow the car without revealing why, then use it to move the aquarium and fish back to the apartment.
  2. Drive back to the mortuary around the time Vincent gets out of work, so I can return his car in time for him to drive home.
  3. Profit??? (No, pay him for gas.)



That’s IT!!! Just three simple steps, and I forgot ALL about it!

But obviously Vincent hadn’t forgotten about it. When I opened the door, his glare was unmoved. A small white fang held the corner of his lip in restrained agitation.

“You forgot to bring the car back,” he said through gritted teeth.

I felt awful. I hate breaking a promise, but this crime of mine stings even harder because I know he had no other way to get home; he had to walk all the way here just to get his car back. Obviously I invited him in, telling him the keys were upstairs in my room anyway. Besides, it was the least I could do for him after all the trouble I’d caused.

Although I never outright admitted that I _forgot,_ per se, I swear I must’ve filled EVERY moment of silence with profuse apologies to him, begging his forgiveness for making him walk all this way after I hadn’t showed up on time. He begrudgingly accepted the first apology, then genuinely accepted the second, and every other stammered “I’m so, so, so, so sorry!” after that simply seemed to tire him out. I guess his anger was actually just exhaustion, after all. Still, no matter how many times he insisted that everything was fine, I couldn’t stop feeling terrible about it.

When we finally scaled the mountain of stairs to reach my apartment, I invited him to sit at my kitchen table, which was unceremoniously covered in papers I’d yet to throw out. Vincent didn’t waste any time accepting the seat, and just by looking at him, it wasn’t hard to see why. In the winter months like this, ermines’ fur is normally all white save for their permanent black tail-tips, but the tip of Vincent’s tail was rivalled by the dark circles under his eyes. He must've directed a funeral today, because he was wearing his formal uniform: a normally-pristine suit which was now battered by the city wind and dust. The place was a mess around him, but he hardly seemed to notice, and started trying to make small talk with me about work to break the tense silence.

Since my ‘work’ today was nothing but my dubious experimentation, I was pretty quick to dodge the subject, giving a vague, generic answer and redirecting the question so he could talk while I retrieved the car keys. Vincent mumbled a bit about his own day at work, but to be honest, my attention was more set on making sure he couldn’t peek into my bedroom and catch a glimpse of the aquarium I’d just put in only hours before. I finally found the keys atop a seat in the corner of my bedroom, lying on my crumpled labcoat after it had been tossed aside when I got home. I was trying to remember what else I had been meaning to give him, when my thoughts were interrupted by his voice calling out from the other room:

“Did you eat fish earlier? I smell fish...” I heard the chair’s legs scrape along the floor as Vincent stood up to follow his nose, seemingly gaining some sudden surge of energy after thoughts of food hit his aching mind and belly.

“O-Oh, that’s just-” I quickly inserted myself into the doorway between the tank and the front room, easily blocking his view thanks to being significantly taller. I got there just in time- he was already standing at the doorway by the time I intercepted his view of it.

He sighed, waving his hand dismissively. “Nevermind- I don’t want to know. I haven’t had the time to eat dinner yet, and the drive home is long enough that it’ll be awhile before I can get any. The last thing I need to think about is…” He looked off into the air, dreamily. “Fish…” He wiped at the corner of his mouth to stop himself from drooling. “Oh, what I wouldn’t do for some crispy fried fish skins right now…” He swallowed. I started to feel the guilt well up in my chest, and before I knew it, I blurted out:

“ACTUALLY-!” I cringed internally at my own foolishness, but at this point, I had already sunk myself into this answer, so I continued: “Actually, they were supposed to be for you anyway!”

Vincent’s stout little stoat ears perked up. “For me?”

“Yeah! A-and,” I glanced to the side quickly, already nervous about the fact that I was lying again. “And that’s why I was so late to go drop the car off! It took longer than I thought to get the fish, but I wanted to thank you for letting me borrow your work car, so…” I trailed off, but he just grinned enthusiastically, as if all his earlier frustrations had instantaneously lifted.

“You really didn’t have to do that for me, you know!” He grinned, holding his tail aloft instead of letting it lie limply on the floor like before.

I shrugged it off and acted bashful, mumbling something about him being a good coworker of sorts- given the symbiotic nature of our occupations- so it’s only right to thank him for the car and everything else all at once. At this point, he seemed to be listening less and less, totally focused on the fish (fine by me- that’s less attention on my lies). Clearly, Vincent was anxious to see what I had been talking up this whole time, and was trying to peek around me. Following his nose to the distinct scent behind me, he hopped in place to get a better look at where the smell of fish was coming from. Once he’d seen the tank of four live fish, his eyes widened instantly and gleamed with anticipation.

“And you got _live_ fish? How did you manage to-...?” Vincent shook his head. “Nevermind that, you got _four_? You know I can only eat two of those at most, right? And why put all that money into a tank to just-”

I interrupted with more of the same thankfulness and a quick ‘we in the death industry gotta stick together!’ or something bizarre like that. At this point, Vincent seemed a bit suspicious of my intentions, but was nonetheless too fixated on the promise of a meal long-past due to really care enough to question me on my weird behavior. I tried to change the subject: “I’m not really hungry right now, so I’ll eat my share later. For now, just go ahead and pick out whichever fish you want! Really, I don’t mind.” At this point, it was getting more and more difficult for me to keep lying, so I excused myself to wash my paws ‘so I can cook that fish for you.’

When I got to the bathroom, I gripped the sides of the sink firmly and stared down my haggard reflection in the mirror, mentally chastising myself for being stupid enough to give away my precious few research subjects like that. My reflection’s bloodshot eyes stared back at me, and my hot breath collecting on the glass as I panted away belied just how nervous I was. Lying blankly like this… I’ve never done it this much in my whole life! The adrenaline was coursing through my veins, and I switched on the tap hoping that the rinse of cool water would help me collect myself a bit before returning. While I washed my paws, I took some deep breaths and got myself to stop panting. I began reasoning that they were just plain, everyday fish, and that I could always get more test subjects. It wouldn’t be a huge loss to lose one of the potential test fish, as long as I didn’t lose the fish I’d already experimented on. As I turned off the faucet, my fears manifested themselves as the distinct sound of a freezer door opening in the other room.

That sound made me bite the inside of my lip hard enough to bring notes of iron to my palette. My heart was in my throat as I opened the bathroom door and turned to look back into the front room.

As I’d feared, Vincent had pulled Fish 1 and 2 from the freezer and was sniffing them over curiously. When he noticed me, he lifted his eyes to meet mine and grinned. “Oh good, you’re back! Sorry for prying, but I smelled some other similar fish in your freezer, and I didn’t want to burden you by taking some of your live stock, so I-” He held out the frozen fish as he spoke, but I didn’t even let him finish his sentence before I quickly came over and snatched them from him, stuffing the fish back in the freezer before he noticed anything off about them. He stood there in clear confusion as I rambled something about them being ‘not as good’ because I had found some weird parasites on their skin or something like that. I insisted that I’d be insulted if he didn’t pick one of the fresh ones I’d gotten as a thank-you gift for him. He seemed unsure, but eventually shrugged.

“Er, yeah, I guess there was something a bit off about the scent of those frozen ones, anyway…” He shifted awkwardly, scratching the back of his head before graciously returning to the tank to pick out one of the normal fish. The fact that he could smell the introduced blood in those fish made me nervous, but all-and-all, that was a crisis averted, and I let out a silent sigh of relief for the moment. At least he hadn’t decided to open the fridge instead of the freezer. I’m not sure how I would’ve explained two hospital IV bags full of corpse blood…

After Vincent returned with a fish still flailing around in his claws, I quickly got to work preparing it for him while he waited at the table, making idle smalltalk. I don’t normally have much time to cook for myself, but I at least know how to pan-sear a whole fish in a little oil with some herbs and spices. Based on the pointers he occasionally threw my way as I cooked, I know he’s a better chef than me, so it was a little intimidating to cook a meal for him, but he seemed to appreciate having some time to relax while I did all the work.

As for me, I was doing my darndest to hide my true exhaustion. If my body had its way, I’d have been asleep and atoning for my hefty sleep debt hours ago. Thankfully, Vincent’s occasional commentary kept me awake enough to avoid making any major careless mistakes, though I did feel the sting of the hot oil once or twice as it popped and sizzled. At one point, he started idly thumbing through some of the assorted papers sprawled across my kitchen table, which made me really wish I’d cleaned up a little better… All I heard was some shuffling of paper, then a restrained snort of laughter from Vincent.

“I wouldn’t have guessed that _you_ of all people would like this kind of stuff, but, uh… You into demonology now, Speckles?” He held up a pamphlet teasingly, and with a quick glance over my shoulder, I recognized it as the one that witch girl had given me about her “demon lord” something-or-another just the other day. I must’ve looked pretty embarrassed, because Vincent couldn’t contain his laughter anymore after seeing my face. I flattened my cropped ears to my head and looked back to my cooking.

“It’s just some junk that some random girl gave me on the street the other day. It’s not important- you could go ahead and recycle it if you want.” I already researched that ‘Caim’ figure last night anyway- I didn’t even need that pamphlet anymore. Plus, no use scaring myself with supposed ‘demons’ when there’s _real_ science to be explored.

“No, no, I actually find this stuff really interesting! I love history, and all this old art is fascinating.” Vincent opened up the pamphlet and started reading through it. “Besides, I know a little bit about this figure. Actually, just _today_ this stuff came up at work." He turned to the page about ravens and pointed to a drawing of one. "I was directing an outdoor funeral for a small cervid family when a feral raven just like this one flew overhead. The family freaked out and interpreted it as an omen of coming doom upon another member of their family, so it took awhile to calm everybody down again… According to this pamphlet, these omens are actually meant to be neutral- they just mean that a big change is coming- but popular culture makes it negative by default, just by being associated with demons in the past." He sighed. "Sorry, I'm geeking out a little bit. Anyway, it was pretty cool to see a feral bird like that- I've only seen them a couple of other times." He set the pamphlet back on the table again, and leaned back in his chair.

At this point, I couldn't contain it anymore, so I blurted out that a feral raven had also come to visit my apartment earlier today. Vincent seemed genuinely shocked and impressed. At this point, he was on the edge of his seat, begging for more information, but I insisted I’d told him all I had, and instead tried to change the subject by flipping the now-cooked fish onto a plate and sliding it his way- dinner was served.

He didn’t waste any time gratefully digging into the meal, but it was clear that the subject of omens hadn’t yet left his mind. Between bites here and there, he’d ask me more about the bird, and about any other potential omens I’d seen recently. I wasn’t sure whether he was being serious or not, but I indulged him anyway, telling him that strange things had been happening lately, but not giving any more detail. He nodded and wiped fish oil from his mouth before proclaiming: “If you believe in this type of thing, your omens pretty clearly point to a prediction that you’re going to meet a mysterious stranger soon- someone who will turn your whole world upside-down.”

I gave him a quizzical look, wondering how he knew such an oddly-specific factoid. He pointed at the pamphlet, and said simply “I told you: I think this kind of stuff is really interesting. I’m a hobbyist historian- I do my research on things I find interesting.” He casually went back to eating while I spent the rest of the time stuck in thought about the whole affair. Was this impactful ‘stranger’ supposed to be the mystery body that had been causing me so much trouble? The rest of the meal was spent in silence, but it didn’t last long, because Vincent ate quickly. Before long, all that was left of the former fish was a simple spine.

Vincent thanked me for the meal, and while he cleaned himself up, I returned to my room to get his things. As he was putting his coat back on to leave, I handed him the car keys and some money for gas, and he smiled and thanked me again, insisting he wasn’t mad about everything that happened today- that he understood and could tell I was just a bit out of sorts at the moment. He told me to get some sleep and not to worry too much about the omens (of course I won’t- I’m a man of science, not superstition!), then thanked me again and politely took his leave.

Fast-forward through me cleaning up, and here we are, back in the present time of me writing this journal entry. In the time it took me to type up this entry, I think my adrenaline FINALLY wore off from that whole fiasco. Sometimes, writing my entries like this really helps me to calm down and relax after a long day, and this was one of the longest days I’ve had in ages. Hopefully now I’ll be able to get a nice long night of rest…

**[10/29, 4:08 AM]**

Couldn't sleep all night. Had to konw.

Maybe fhere are some things we aren't meant to know.

Msybe I just tasted the forbidden fruit.

Ran one more experiment just now. This is written after, but I can explainn the proceudre in the morning or later. Can barley keep my eyes open, but need to get the results written down now, becauss even I can barely beloeve them. Let it be known tbat at approx. 1 AM, I began Experiment 2: total blood transfusion in a green sunfish. First two attempts did not succeed (maybe my own sleep deprivafion); so fish 3 and 4 died similiarly to Fish 1 and 2. Same symptoms: trouble breathing water, and more unisual formations in body until their brain gets overloaded and the.y die. I put them in the freezer. I’ll make rhe mivcroscope slides tomoorow when im vback at tge lab and do a clooser analysis then.

I tried the transfusion ONE m,ore time for Fish 5, and th full blood transfusion succeeded!!! Fish 5 developped mammalian internal anatomh. Markings even changed slifhgtly.

Most significant discovery to medical science howevr was this: Fish 5 acquired instant regenerafive ability. I noticed its wounds healed around the tubes delivering blood transfusjon. It was healing wounds extremely fast, probabllh because its cells were changing annd dividing so quickly.

I decided to test it, so I clipped a fin , and the fish healed it back again. Any wound I make on it, it heals back fast- almost instsantly. It grew lungs at first, but if I put it in th water again, it grows its gills back. Its shape will always regrow and change to fit its environmetn... Like mini evolution.

I want to know: can it survive in the freezr? I put it in there just now. Can it adapt to the cold temp? What else could it adapt to if I ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvfffffffffffffffffffvffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffvffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

**[Your session timed out due to inactivity.]**


	3. Unkindness

**[10/30, 10:12 AM]**

I am  _ furious. FURIOUS!  _ Not only did I pass out on my keyboard last night and sleep in MUCH later than I should have, but I woke up to a kitchen COVERED in little bird footprints, and REEKING!!! The fridge and freezer are hanging wide open and there’s scraps of food and packaging everywhere. And guess what ELSE was left open? The WINDOW!!1!

Apparently I was too exhausted and dazed to actually CLOSE the window last night, even after noticing it was open! UNBELIEVABLE!!!

And why on Earth are the bird's prints RED? Guess this’ll be my first ever ‘sick day’ on record, because I don’t think I can handle all of this AND a pile of corpses right now. I’m gonna call Rowan to say I’m vomiting or something (this is all making me feel queasy anyway), and get to cleaning.

I don’t even know where to start with all this… Worst of all, the smell of blood is overwhelming in here, even with the window open. Diamond’s blood, definitely (there’s something so characteristic about the smell of it that I just can’t place- something more metallic than normal)… I guess the birds must have burst one of the IV bags.

I’m an atheist, but right now I find myself  _ praying _ it was only one bag. I can only hope the neighbors don’t catch that scent on the wind and get worried too… Welp, better get to cleaning ASAP so that can’t happen. Will return with updates soon.

**[10/30, 11:43 AM]**

I didn’t even get that far into cleaning before I realized the true extent of the damage: not only had those birds eaten all my microwave meals, they ALSO ate my specimens. All the fish- and they DID get both IV bags of blood after all- all completely gone. Eaten by a feral bird.

No, it had to be a  _ flock _ of feral birds. There’s no way just one small creature did all this on its own. The one from last night must have brought the rest of its family back to eat all my things...

It’s called a ‘murder’, isn’t it? A group of feral ravens? Or was that for feral crows? I know one is a “murder” and one is an “unkindness”, but either way, that’s exactly what they did to me overnight. They  _ murdered _ my scientific progress; so  _ unkindly _ destroyed my materials and left me with nothing. No food, no evidence, no test subjects, and no unknown blood- just me and my spotty-memoried mind, hungry for answers (and hungry for a meal, too- they even ate my favorite kibble cereal!).

It’s actually kinda funny: while I was cleaning, I thought I could hear one of them outside my window, mocking me with a final ‘CAW’. I ran to the window, about to yell something like “I’ll show YOU unkindness if you bring yours by my flat again!”, but no one was outside besides my elderly neighbor, Ms. D’Angelo, who gave me a customary meek wave, which was soon retracted and exchanged for a concerned look after seeing my expression and general unkemptness. I waved back, trying to smile and exchange pleasantries like nothing was wrong, though I could feel how tensely unnatural it looked even without seeing myself. After that awkward exchange, I closed the windows and shut the blinds, hoping the neighbors wouldn’t worry, and hoping no one had noticed the apparent crime scene inside my kitchen.

Speaking of the carnage, I couldn’t salvage any of my piscine test subjects whatsoever. The few bits that remained were so small that they were completely indistinguishable from any of the edible meats that had formerly accompanied them in my freezer. Even if I sniffed out the green sunfish bits specifically, it would be impossible to tell which test subject was which. If I tried to work with these, my data would be useless. They were as good as gone.

As for the IV bags, my worst fear was confirmed: both bags had been punctured, drained, and smeared onto everything in the room by little four-toed footprints. By the time I realized this, I’d already wiped up half of it from the surfaces it’d been so unceremoniously spattered onto. I’d even had to throw away all the papers and unopened mail cluttering my kitchen table. Hopefully none of it was important… At least I finally got the satisfaction of throwing away that stupid pamphlet, though the demon’s grinning face in the picture kinda sucked the fun out of it. Even this printed, resized photo of a centuries-old painting felt like it was mocking me...

Despite the blood being flung far and wide, I was able to use an eyedropper to salvage a just drop of it from a small, still-damp puddle in the fridge, and placed it onto a glass slide for preservation. Thank goodness I used enough anticoagulant when I originally packaged this stuff, but even with a miraculously still-fluid sample, there was no doubt it was contaminated, and who knows how long it had been sitting out there collecting bacteria. I’ll just have to hope that I  _ might _ be able to harvest more blood from Diamond’s corpse later without anyone noticing. Despite my best efforts to preserve that body, and my great luck so far with collecting blood, it’s been several days since death now, so who knows how much (if any) fluid blood would still be retrievable… 

Rowan is taking tomorrow off anyway, so maybe I can try again then… For now though, I’ll keep this microscope slide just in case. I just wanted to be able to salvage something from this wreck- more for salvaging my own peace of mind than anything else… 

Speaking of which: as I was cleaning, I started remembering more and more about some extra experimentation I did on a whim last night? I’ll have to check the logs to see what it was- maybe there’s some information to be of use there, at least.

**[10/30, 11:45 AM]**

Of course not.

Of course nothing is usable! I don’t know why I expected any better… 

I’m kicking myself for getting so carried away last night. Despite barely holding on to consciousness, I somehow devised an entire experiment and carried it all out, but couldn’t even be bothered to write it all out properly?! I was so tired then that I can hardly even remember any of it now, and the logs are only giving me just enough to remember my discovery: that tantalizing victory that I now have absolutely zero evidence to support. With the physical evidence destroyed, and without typing out my methods and observations properly, I have nothing to go off of. It was all useless… 

...But not pointless.

On the contrary, reading over my mad typing from last night is making me remember the exhilaration I felt when I made that bone-chilling discovery.

With or without evidence, I’ve seen it with my own eyes now: Diamond’s blood has properties yet-unknown to science. Properties that can change the body so drastically and so rapidly that they can cause a fish to grow lungs when it catches a breath of air, seal wounds in the body before they even start to bleed, and cause the body to adapt-- no, to literally _ evolve  _ its shape and function to suit its surroundings. Whether it’s from radiation, some chemical or drug, or caused by some bizarre mutation is still beyond my understanding, but I’m certain of what I saw, and I’m certain that this discovery can revolutionize medicine and science forever. All I have to do is prove it.

And yes, I may not have the evidence to prove it now, but I can get some. I can repeat the experiment.

Tomorrow, when I’m alone in the morgue, I’ll bring more fish and try the full blood transfusion again, with better documentation this time. If I can’t get enough blood, I’ll have to make some serum from Diamond’s DNA, or maybe harvest another fluid. No matter the case, I know I’ll be able to think of something. I’ll even bring my old camcorder and record it all just for even more evidence. I’ll have to make sure everything is flawlessly preserved and documented this time, or else no one will ever believe me. 

It’ll be a big risk to perform an experiment of this scale in the hospital’s morgue, on a corpse I have no authority to experiment on… but it’ll be worth it for the progress it will add to medicine, right?

…

Right?

  
  


**[10/31, 6:17 AM]**

This is it. Today’s the day I make history.

I spent the rest of yesterday preparing for my big experiment by gathering everything I’ll need and heading to bed early for once. The jitters of excitement and anxiety still made it hard to sleep soundly, but one day I’ll be able to rest easy knowing that I’ll have changed medicine for the better. I’m still a bit nervous about being caught by other hospital staff for violating the  _ several _ rules I’d need to break in order to do this, but I’m sure it’ll all be worth it in the future, and I’ll be easily pardoned for a couple of broken hospital rules once they realize the significance of my discovery.

Imagine: a day when folks could simply get a single vaccine to allow their bodies to physically shift and adapt to anything that might threaten them. One vaccine to end all illness and injury forever. All I have to do is unlock the secrets of Diamond’s cells, and figure out how to introduce those properties in others: something I’ve already done once with the fish. It brought the last fish back from the brink of death- who says it couldn’t do the same for patients? 

All I have to do is repeat and record that experiment today, and I can start the path towards a future where a medical miracle becomes reality.

… On an unrelated note, I had a very strange dream last night. I don’t remember all the details precisely, but I do remember being in the morgue, being overcome with emotion, and… Taking Diamond’s corpse to the incinerator. Rationally, I would think that emotion would be predominantly anger after all the trouble I’ve been through (and gotten into) for all this, but my memory tells me that the dream was flavored by fear, not vengeance. 

However, as I stand on the precipice of scientific achievement, the only fear I feel is the slight anxiety of anticipation, knowing that immense fame might soon be thrust upon me for my contribution to science. Honestly, I don’t even care about the fame- that’s not what I want. After seeing so many unfortunate and tragic deaths in my line of work, all I want to do is save lives, and if this research can accomplish that someday by preventing someone’s death, then I’ll do whatever it takes.

  
  


**[10/31, 9:24 AM]**

I just arrived at the morgue, and I’m happy to announce that I was able to procure and bring everything I’d need for today’s big experiment. My wallet weeps from purchasing so many live fish over the past couple of days, but I know it will all be worth it in the end. There was  _ one _ small hitch in my arrival to the hospital this morning, though: an unexpected visit from a recent acquaintance… 

When I arrived at the morgue’s entrance this morning, the rabbit girl I’d met on the sidewalk only a few days ago was waiting outside for me, this time without pamphlets. She stood there calmly leaning against the wall with her arms empty and crossed. At her short stature, she still didn’t look intimidating at all, but her devious expression still gave me reason to hesitate. What’s more, she seemed to be dressed for a funeral, wearing all black formalwear. 

At first, I stiffened, expecting a confrontation from her, but she only greeted me with a smug smile and a vaguely menacing statement that went something like:

“Well, will you let me inside to see my infernal patron now, or will you face the consequences?” 

I told her that I would call security on her for trespassing and making threats unless she produced some proof of relation quickly, but she didn’t seem too fazed by that. I pointed out that she still hadn’t even given me so much as her name or the name of the deceased, to which she actually surprised me by calling the deceased ‘Caim’ and herself ‘Stella’. I informed her that a first-name basis wasn’t going to be enough to grant her entrance to the morgue, and she’d need to go through the front desk and fill out the proper paperwork if she wanted to talk any more. To my surprise, she relented, but walked away with a grin still plastered on her face, telling me that ‘none of that would matter soon enough’ or something to that effect. 

As she walked past me to leave, I took note of a strange necklace that she hadn’t been wearing the first time we met. It had an onyx pendant shaped like a feral bird, with a diamond-shaped hole in the center of its chest for the string to loop through. She must have caught me staring at it, because she paused for a moment to comment:

“You’ve seen them too, haven’t you? Consider yourself blessed. It’s a very powerful omen, after all.”

And that was it. Without saying another word or even giving me a chance to respond, she walked off as if we’d just had a casual chat about the (admittedly dreary) weather… Anyway, I won’t waste any more of this entry on this creepy individual, but I did just want to make a note of her stalking in case I’d need the documentation later for legal purposes. 

**[10/31, 9:39 PM]**

The sun has set, most of the staff have left, and I’m finally finishing the preparation stage of my plan. At long last, I’m just about ready to begin my experiments. In between my normal cases (unfortunately, Rowan left me with a lot of work, but of course I completed it all dutifully to avoid arousing their suspicion that I might be ‘up to’ something) I spent all day handwriting procedures and making diagrams of what I planned to do, making sure to be as detailed as possible so I could ensure that all I’d need to record during the experiment itself was my observations. Everything is prepared, and now the final step is to get Diamond, harvest just a bit more blood, and finally begin. The remainder of today’s log entries will be dedicated to documenting this process, which I’ll also be recording with my camcorder. I set it on my desk in the examination room, facing the dissection table, and will begin recording as soon as I have everything ready. Even if it takes all night, I’m determined to be as thorough as possible this time. Nothing can go wrong, and nothing can get in my way.

**[10/31, 10:06 PM]**

This can’t be happening…

Just when everything seemed to be going right, I slid Diamond’s corpse out to draw a bit more blood, but my syringe couldn’t suction up even a single drop. I didn’t even get a flash, even though I was certain I was in the vein. I even tried taking blood from the heart’s chambers directly, but even these were clear- no clotted blood or anything, despite all the anticoagulants I’d introduced to keep this body workable.

‘Fine’, I thought, ‘I prepared for this’, so I went in search of other bodily fluids instead: anything I could use as the base of a serum containing Diamond’s DNA. I tried settling for abdominal fluid, cerebrospinal fluid:  _ any _ fluid, really, but the body was as dry as a raisin handed out to an ungrateful trick-or-treater hoping for candies. After all my hard work, where’s MY treat? 

In a last-ditch effort, I introduced some moisture to try and rehydrate the body, injected some solution to try and clear any clots that might be blocking the circulatory system, and returned the corpse to its cold locker to sit for at least a couple of hours before trying again. I don’t want to encourage decomposition or anything, but I need to pull some fluid from this body if I want to run the transfusion experiment on those fish.

In the meantime, I was left only with the option to sit and ponder. How could this even happen? Did Rowan do something to the corpse yesterday, or even just leave it out in a drying environment for too long? Did the hospital catch on to my plan and try to prohibit me from tampering with the corpse? If it weren’t so late, I might try calling Vincent for tips on rehydrating a corpse- I’m really not sure what to do h

.

Sorry to interrupt this entry, but I’m hearing strange noises that have been getting louder and louder as I type this, and I just can’t ignore them any more. I turned on the camcorder now and will leave it on just to record this, so I know I’m not crazy. I called out just now to see if it was just Rowan coming in after their party to help me with all the work they saddled me with, but no one answered.

It sounds like a loud, rhythmic banging. I think it’s coming from the locker room, but the emptiness of this place is reverberating the sound around so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly. Rarely, a recently deceased body will get some lingering nerve signals that cause it to briefly spasm and bang around inside a locker, but it’s not typically this … Consistent. 

I’m going to go sneak around the corner to get a peek. Maybe it’s just the air vents or something inconsequential that my nerves are just amplifying, but I swear, if it’s that ‘Stella’ girl, I’m calling security for real this time. This isn’t funny anymore.

**[10/31, 10:16 PM]**

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	4. Speak With The Devil

**[11/01, 2:59 AM]**

I don’t know how to describe what just happened to me.

As I type this, I can feel the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. Though I feel I’ve just died, I’ve also never felt more alive; more focused. For once, I can remember it all in crystal clarity. I can remember every detail, every word, every breath each of us took, because what I experienced tonight is something I will never forget. It will haunt me forever.

-

It all started when I paused my digital journaling to go check on the locker room, where that awful banging sound was coming from. As I approached the room, my tensions ran high, and I fully braced myself for an intruder in the morgue: likely that Stella girl. However, for better or for worse, I turned the corner into the room to discover that I was fully alone. 

As I entered the cold locker room, the sharp noise became angrier and louder, pounding through my chest with every beat. Its source was now easily identifiable: Diamond’s locker. 

In the refrigerated air, I could see my own rapid breaths as I began to pant in fear. I’m not one to scare easily, and I’ve never believed in ghosts or anything of the sort, but in that moment, I know the chills running down my spine weren’t just from the brisk air. There was something very, very wrong here. Still, this was  _ my _ patient; my responsibility, and of course, my invaluable case study. As little as I wanted to, I knew I had to seek out the source of the sound just to assure the health of my most prized cadaver.

With a trembling paw, I carefully slid open Diamond’s locker. As soon as the seal on that metal crypt had been broken, an overwhelming force pushed back from the other side like a tidal wave. In an instant, several creatures forced their way out and flew into the room like locusts scattering as a gust disturbs them from the field they plague. A shadow passed over my eyes before the squawking of several feral birds filled the air. My screams joined their calls as they swooped and dove at me, angry for having been contained in that icy metal box, no doubt. 

Instinctually, I ducked down and sought shelter under a rolling cadaver gurney as the birds continued their frenzied swarm around the room. I’m a bit ashamed to admit it, but in that moment, all I could do was cower with my eyes squeezed shut and my paws over my ears, whimpering like a pup. I knew I was in the morgue alone tonight, so I had the entire hospital basement to myself. No one would hear my cries through this concrete tomb.

I had grown up wanting to see one of these majestic creatures someday, but with everything that had happened over the past few days, I had grown to fear them. Desperately hoping I wouldn’t be the next piece of flesh on their menu, my mind recalled images of my blood-splattered kitchen after the flock had been through it and obliterated every bit of meat in my fridge, leaving only a few meager scales behind to identify the fish. If I wasn’t so afraid, maybe I’d have questioned how they even got to be inside that locker or this hospital in general for that matter, but at the time, the only thoughts I had left were reading through my last will and testament at 2x speed like my recorded lectures in med school. 

As I lamented my own imminent demise, I eventually noticed that the sounds had quieted, and risked peeking one eye open, only to see the flock filing out through the door I’d left open by just a crack. Soon enough, I was alone again as they all let themselves into the hallway: the hallway that led to the examination room, where all my experimental supplies, notes, and even my laptop (with this log still open) awaited.

Realizing that my experiment was at risk of destruction once more, I shot up, hitting my head on the underside of the metal gurney with a yelp and stumbling before scrambling into the hallway after the birds. I’d lost sight and scent of them, so as I sprinted down the hall, I just had to hope they’d found some exit instead of finding my test subjects first. It sounds stupid, but as I sprinted down the hall with the trail of my white coat flying freely behind me, I wondered if this is what the E.R. surgeons feel like when they rush into a case to save a life. Knowing that my last chance at this vital experiment was on the line, I felt even more powerful than those surgeons, for my responsibility and my burden was far greater. 

So imagine my immense relief when I arrived to find that the flock had not found it first. As soon as I had entered the examination room, my eyes instantly locked on my desk. Thankfully, the fish, the notes, and my laptop were all exactly as I'd left them, and for a moment I breathed a heaving sigh of relief. As I closed the door behind me to keep the birds out, my eyes drifted to the other side of the room in what was supposed to be a quick cursory glance to make sure all was well, but something large stuck out.

A corpse was sitting upright on the examination table, staring straight at me. 

It was Diamond's corpse.

No, to call this a corpse would be inaccurate. As soon that piercing red eye met my own, I felt its gaze burn through my mind and read the contents of my very soul. That look alone told me that the thing in front of me was far more alive than I, as if its life force were the sun and I was a mere meteor caught in its atmosphere: a momentary burst of light that would soon be forgotten while this supernova burned on long after I'd fizzled to dust. Something about its presence was almost gravitational- like its gaze had sewn a needle through me and tethered us together, ensnaring and holding me there in the tension of this creature's magnetic presence. I couldn't scream. I couldn't run, or even move for that matter. I was immobilized by the terror that look had instilled in me. Until that gaze was broken, I would be frozen there as if I were a petrified husk staring at the face of Medusa. The room was deathly silent save for the occasional eerie dripping sounds as abdominal fluids leaked from Diamond's loose incisions and hit the cold floor. 

Without even blinking, Diamond spoke. 

_ "So, what did you learn, Doctor?"  _

For as much terror as Diamond's gaze had instilled in me, their voice tripled it. Their polyphonic tone was one deep, honeyed rumble echoed by the whispers of several other voices speaking in unison at various pitches. Diamond's dulcet tone was the sweet nectar coating the lip of the pitcher plant, masking the tiny spine-prickling cries of the flies melting down within. As I spoke to respond, my meek voice was merely the mumbling of another fly.

"I-I haven't learned anything, I've only collected more questions…" I was trying to be careful. I didn't want them to think I knew too much, but I didn't want to lie either, in case they could read me like a book- which I got the sense they already were. The creature seemed to enjoy my answer, and their lips pulled aside to reveal a toothy smile. 

"That is good. Questions are merely the beginning of answers. And yet…" They tilted their head to the side, resting it in their palm. Their accent was implacable, not only because they had multiple voices, but because they sounded like they've lived everywhere. "I have to admit my disappointment. For all I've given you, you still came to no conclusions?" 

I winced. I became even more nervous, trying to give this zombie the answers they wanted before they decided to open my cranium and find the answers for themself. "Well, I know that your cells are… Adaptive. They have a property I've never seen before. You're…" I swallowed, hoping they would take this next phrase as praise and not insult, "you're not a normal animal. I don't know what you are at all." 

"How bold," they said through a chuckle that sounded like distant thunder, which I suppose at least meant they weren't that offended. "But, that is correct. Around the world, there are many different names for what I am, but I personally prefer to be called… Caim. I am he who takes many forms- your term 'adaptive' is true indeed." He gave a curt nod of approval. "Your research was indeed beginning to take flight, I see. Tell me, Doctor…" 

The undead being before me adjusted himself on his metal lounge, getting comfortable and letting his tail hang over the edge as it began to wag slowly side to side. He leaned forward, putting his head in his hands like a child at a sleepover begging their friend to spill the gossip. "What knowledge do you seek above all else? After the research I allowed you, what question still burns strongest in your heart?" 

I was a bit speechless at first. Why did he even care what I think, or what I want? Was this just some trick, or was this amusing to him? Slowly, I found an answer- one that could sate him without putting me in too much trouble. The entire time, I avoided eye contact, and kept my ears back. 

"I… I had been researching your blood. When I put your blood through a fish's circulatory system, it grew new features like your own, and its body could shift to fit its surroundings, too. What I really wanted to know is," I looked up to meet his gaze directly now, "could the compounds in your blood help anthros? I-if I could just recreate the protein in your body's cells, I could create a serum to save countless lives!" He seemed pleased by this answer. 

"How noble," Caim cooed, although his expression also seemed to read 'how naïve'. A red glint flashed across his eye as its focus on me intensified. The other eye shone like the full moon, and despite its blindness, I could feel it peering through me, too. "Would you like to test it? I will allow you enough blood to discover the answer you seek, but understand that this will be our final exchange." 

There had to be a catch to that. I eyed him cautiously. "Of course, but… What will it cost me?" Caim's ears perked up at my question. As they moved, I noticed that the small red hoop on his right ear was now aglow as fiery etchings engraved on its side lit up faintly. Caim seemed almost merry now.

"Oh, is it an even deal you desire? If you insist…" He pursed his lips and put a claw to his chin in 'thought', though I have a feeling that this was exactly the way he expected things to go. "I will give you blood for your experiment, and in exchange, you will never tell a soul about this encounter, who I am, or what you believe me to be." He looked directly at my laptop now. "You may keep your personal records, but you are never to allow them an audience outside of your own mind." He looked back to me with a smirk. "If you break this agreement, your soul will be mine." 

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I looked away again, and stammered out something like "I need to think about this."

Looking me up and down, the demon shrugged. "If you do not believe in the soul, then you have nothing to lose, yes?" 

"Y-yes, right. That's not the problem, though, it's-..." Keeping this research to myself so far had been excruciating enough. Could I really keep that up forever? Especially if I found answers, would I be able to keep that from the world? At this point, the only reason to accept this offer was to sate my own personal curiosity. If I said yes, I would have the personal satisfaction of understanding this bizarre anomaly, but that full knowledge would be mine alone. On the other hand, if I said no, would I be able to forgive myself for giving away the answers to these questions that would surely haunt me for the rest of my days? Furthermore, if the soul  _ did _ exist- and I'll concede that science can't prove this either way- would I be willing to give mine up just to understand some blood? 

Then again, I began to think … If the soul does exist, then I've already given mine to science and the pursuit of knowledge a long time ago. From the very moment I began this research, that truth was starkly evident, even when all else was in question. I became a medical examiner to solve the mysteries of unfortunate deaths, and now, I might be able to solve the mystery of death itself. I looked back at the demon in front of me, my gaze now filled with the spark of determination. I pushed that poisonous word from my mouth:

"Deal." 

The demon in front of me looked thrilled. His eyes lit up, and he clasped his hands together graciously. After this point, the glow in his earring began to slowly fade. 

"Wonderful. Now, if I am to live in your mind alone, I should offer you a housewarming gift." Without much warning, he thrust his hand down his throat, until the tips of his canines brushed the light fluff on his elbow. The sound was horrendous. Trying not to gag, I had to look away. When I glanced back again, the demon was holding out a jar filled with red fluid. I squinted at it. 

"Is that blood... In a jar?" I'm not sure why that was my first voiced thought, but honestly, everything felt so surreal now that I felt there was no point in trying to question the larger bizarre events; all I could do was pick at the smaller things. Besides, I didn't want to ask about the arm thing- I had a feeling he'd just show me again if I did. He nodded.

"This blood will remain fresh until the jar's seal is broken. You will use it all at once, so use it wisely." He carried an awful lot of confidence in that last sentence. I got the sense that this was more of a command than a prediction… He set the jar down on the dissection table next to him, and calmly asked: 

_ "Any further questions?" _

That had to be at least a little mocking, because he had to know that my mind was now more filled with questions than ever before in my life. The world around us didn't exist anymore, my concept of it had been shattered. I was merely a meteor burning up in the heat of this sun. My body was beginning to overheat, and at some point in the conversation, my maw must have lulled open to pant, because it was now the only way I could breathe. This had to be some cruel, elaborate prank. The images of the pamphlet, the things Stella said, and the cries of those feral birds all ricocheted around in my skull as I tried in vain to process all this, and tried even harder to find some rational explanation to it all. The creature on my dissection table leaned forward to get a better look at my distress. He smiled.

"You look tired, Doctor," Caim said with a warm tone, like a parent about to tuck their child in at night, "Why not take a nap? We can switch places. I have slept for long enough now..." He patted the cold metal dissection table beneath him, offering it to me as if it were a luxurious bed. Feeling lightheaded again, I couldn't take it anymore, and I blurted out: 

"Slept?! You were DEAD! I took your organs out! Y-your body was so mangled that I had to rearrange them for you!" Immediately, I clapped my palms over my jowls, instantly regretting what I'd said. 

At my last remark about his disorganized organs, Caim's eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn't noticed that part yet. His paw pad glazed over his roughly-sewn abdomen, and he looked down at the sloppy stitches woven through the leaky Y-shaped incision I'd pulled his innards from only a few days ago.

"Ah, this?" Caim just smiled at the enormous incision nonchalantly, as if my thick stitches in his abdominal cavity were only a cutesy band-aid I’d placed over a scraped elbow. He looked back up at me, but I couldn't follow his eyes back up to meet his gaze. No, I was fixed on the wounds closing up right before my eyes. Caim's flesh took on the viscous, liquid texture of honey as it quietly rearranged itself, sealing my incisions shut as my stitches fell uselessly out of them. I froze in shock, and a horrified gasp escaped my lungs. 

Caim tilted his head at me. "Is something the matter, Doctor? Can you not see that you've done a remarkable job of healing me?" 

I struggled to find an answer. Was he mocking me? Was he genuine? Even as I type this now, I still don’t know.

“Hm, you look unconvinced.” Caim frowned. “You were concerned about the arrangement of my organs- was that it? There is nothing to worry about- you fixed them, remember? I can show you, if it will set your mind at ease.” Casually, he grabbed a fistful of skin at both sides of his ribs and pulled harshly to tear his own flesh away like the membranes holding his body together were nothing but thin seran wrap. The movement almost looked like he was opening up a large coat to ‘flash’ me or ask if I was interested in a counterfeit watch, except FAR more disturbing, since this ‘big reveal’ was essentially a vivisection. Sure enough, there were all his organs, lined up essentially where they should be, and pulsating as blood flowed through them despite his veins being bone-dry only hours before. 

“Oh, my apologies, it appears I forgot one,” Caim smiled coyly, and his swim bladder receded into the rest of that slimy, writhing mass. “All normal now, yes?” He grinned at me, as if he expected me to be thrilled and rejoicing with him. “Look what excellent healing you’ve provided! What a good doctor you are.” If he wasn’t all the way over there on the table, I got the impression he’d be giving me a pat on the head with his bloodied paws.

At this point, I felt so faint that I’m surprised I was still able to stand. I had to brace myself on the small table of dissection tools in front of me to stop my wobbly knees from taking me to the ground. 

I’m a medical examiner, so gore doesn’t faze me in the slightest, but this made me feel nauseous. More than that, I was  _ afraid _ . This was a different kind of fear: something more primal. Something that assured every fiber of my being that we’d left the realm of possibility, and that if I allowed myself to lose consciousness, I might just never wake up. I had run out of rational theories to explain what I was seeing in front of me. This wasn't just a medical anomaly, this creature was truly something else. I had just bartered my soul with a demon. 

"Oh, doctor. You don't look so well. Maybe it IS your turn to take a nap...! Here, allow me to help you…" He slid off the examination table, and started walking towards me. As he moved forwards, his open abdominal cavity sealed itself back up smoothly and effortlessly. 

At this point, I couldn't take it anymore. Rationality gave over to raw instinct. My mind had been troubled by questions before, but now, it was as clear as it had ever been as only one singular thought screamed through my brain: RUN.

So, I took my spindly, noodly legs that were already melting under me from fear, and I ran for my LIFE. 

The next few minutes were a blur as adrenaline narrowed all my senses to the singular focus of escaping the morgue. As I sprinted down the hall once more, this time in the opposite direction, I developed tunnel vision the instant the EXIT sign came into view. I slammed into the bar with my entire body, and the door opened to the cold night air, refreshing my burning soul after I had suffered in that hell. As soon as I escaped the morgue, I tried to clear as much distance between myself and the hospital as possible. I didn't dare look behind me, so I looked up.

The last thing I remember seeing was the moon, its light blocked by the shadowy silhouette of a feral raven perched atop a streetlight. Like Caim, it had a white diamond marking on its chest, almost like the pendant Stella had been wearing earlier.

As soon as I saw it, I felt a sharp blow to the back of my head. I passed out. 

-

When I awoke, I was back here, in my office, slumped into my chair like a corpse. My white lab coat had been draped over me like a blanket and my laptop was open in front of me with a blue screen warning me about three failed login attempts. 

For a moment, I hoped maybe it was all a dream. I went to check the examination table, and Diamond- no, Caim's body was gone. The table was clean, save for a single jar of red fluid, which sat at its center. When I picked it up, it was hot to the touch, so much so that I could hardly hold it for very long. 

So it was real, after all. 

If that was the case, I knew immediately that I'd need to hide any proof of what happened here tonight. Not another soul could know, after all, but I hardly had the time or energy to make a trip home. For now, I stashed the jar in the mini-fridge in my office. Unfortunately for the green sunfish, they would also be fated for the mini-fridge, and I returned the tank to the storage room before anyone would even notice it was gone. Finally, I locked my experimental notes and procedures in my filing cabinet for now, and dropped the key down my sock. 

After I was sure that all evidence of my research had been secured, I got to work typing up this entry before I could forget anything. My head is still pounding from it all, and staring at this screen is only making it worse. The sun is probably beginning to rise by now, anyway. Might as well catch a few hours of sleep here before the morning comes. This chair is pretty comfy, after all, and it's been a long, long night… 


End file.
